July/August 2024


www.nitravelnews.com


spain, bulgaria, turkIye, malta and portugal the top holiday hotspots


... continued from page 1 Forecasts indicate that travellers will


Page 20-21: Tom Adair hits the ‘North Coast 500’, Scotland’s


version of Irelnad’s ‘Wild Atlantic Way’


Page 22-23: Vicky Richards hops on City of Derry’s direct flight to the Algarve


Page 24: Robin


Nowacki takes Aer Lingus’ new direct Dublin to Denver flight...


Page 26-27: Heidi McAlpin and family visit Vegas and the Grand Canyon...


spend £585.9 billion across Europe this year, a 14.3% increase compared to 2023. A recent survey from the European Travel Commission (ETC) showed that 59% of us are interested in overseas trips for summer 2024 — a notable 9% increase compared to 2019.


41% of surveyed individuals already


planned their summer holiday - this means 49% of us are waiting to bag a last-minute summer bargain. Marie Murphy, Director, Terra


Travel Lurgan says: “There are still a lot of last minute bookers looking a bargain this year and with current sales with Jet2holidays, Easyjet Holidays and Tui we have plenty to offer destination wise. With all 3 operators increasing capacity, we have alot of competitive prices still around for Summer 2024.” Convenience now also plays a notable role in choosing a holiday destination, with 20% of travellers opting for destinations which can be reached by a direct flight and 20% preferring a destination with good train connections to other places of interest. Another reason Spain may be the most popular holiday destination for 2024. Holidaymakers have their choice from


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BELFAST City Airport has today unveiled a new marketing campaign cementing its position as the ‘fly through’ airport in Northern Ireland. The campaign, which will be rolled out across print, outdoor, digital and broadcast media, highlights the airport’s unrivalled proximity to the city centre, and the consistently speedy and reliable experience passengers enjoy when choosing to fly to or from Belfast City Airport.


The launch of the campaign coincides


with the start of what will be the busiest summer for the airport in recent years with a record number of airlines operating 28 routes across the UK and Europe.


Commenting on the BelFAST campaign,


Matthew Hall, Chief Executive Officer at Belfast City Airport, said:


“Belfast City Airport is a vital artery in the network that sustains Northern Ireland’s economy and connectivity, and at the very heart of that is our commitment to delivering an enjoyable and hassle-free experience for all of our passengers, whatever their journey. “Our convenient location coupled with an average security processing time of less than six minutes as well as having one of the shortest car to boarding gate distances in Europe makes Belfast City Airport a convenient and popular choice to take off from or to land at. “This marketing campaign supports our ambition of becoming the airport of choice for all in Northern Ireland by


shining a light on all of these unique attributes.”


Belfast City Airport was recently revealed as the UK’s Most Punctual Airport in 2023 and has previously been named the UK and Ireland’s Most Convenient Airport. Matthew continued: “Our excellent punctuality,


a host of direct flights to Spanish destinations from Belfast including Tenerife, Valencia, Malaga, Palma, Alicante, Minorca and Ibiza. Savannah Bracewell, Travel Sales Consultant at Travelmax said: “As a locally owned independent travel agency, we understand the unique desires and needs of the Northern Irish holidaymaker. It’s no surprise that destinations like Spain, Bulgaria, Turkiye, Malta, and Portugal are topping the holiday wish-lists this year. These locations offer incredible experiences, from sun-soaked beaches to rich cultural histories. “We are seeing an increase in travellers


booking several holidays for 3, 4 & 5 nights rather than just one yearly 7 night vacation - so if you can afford a few days here and there why not get a last minute short break booked and fill your holiday calendar with multiple trips to look forward to throughout the year!” Despite a dip to 18.93 million visitors in


2020, Spain welcomed an impressive 71.66 million in 2022, marking a remarkable recovery and earning the spot of the second- most visited country in Europe. However, in 2023 Spain welcomed a whopping 84 million visitors, pushing it to the top of the list. In fact, according to a report (conducted by Google and Deloitte) Spain is tipped to welcome a staggering 110 million annual visitors by 2024 - a massive increase of 24% when compared to 2023 numbers.


And things are already heading that way. In March this year, 6.3 million international


visited Spain,


Holiday World Belfast Moving to the ICC for 2025!


HOLIDAY World Belfast have announced that they are moving the location of the popular holiday and travel show to the International Convention Centre. The show was previously held in the Titanic Exhibition Centre and before that the King’s Hall, Belfast.


tourists already


21% up from 2023, according to the National Statistics Institute. The record for tourist spending was also broken in that period, soaring to £7.3 billion, an increase of 29.7%.


While those numbers are pretty impressive, it isn’t really surprising. Spain boasts an average of 300 sunny days per year, with temperatures in the summer sitting comfortably in the mid-30s, and with a mild winter climate, it’s perfect for winter sun getaways too.


Spain is also making huge investments into its tourist infrastructure. From the opening of more sustainable souvenir shops to the potential for a fast-train along the Costa del Sol, there’s plenty being done to support tourism.


The 2025 show will be held on 10th, 11th and 12th of January 2025. In 2024, over 25,000 holidaymakers attended the Holiday World Show Dublin alone. All three shows (Belfast, Dublin and Limerick) are highly attended as they offer expert advice, exclusive offers and a wide range of diverse holiday options. From Asia to America, Europe to the Middle East, the Holiday World Shows display all the corners of the world and as many places as possible in between. In January 2024, over 450 international destinations participated including Barbados, Canada, Canary Islands, Caribbean Islands, Colombia, Croatia,


Cuba, Latvia, Cyprus,


France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Kenya,


Lithuania,


Malawi, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, Ras Al Khaimah, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Taipei, Thailand, United Kingdom and a USA Pavilion. Attendees are offered the invaluable chance to interact personally with travel professionals,


providing a friendly


and stress-free alternative to online booking.


BELFAST CITY AIRPORT HIGHLIGHT ITS CONVENIENCE AND SPEED


Dubrovnik, Malta,


CONTENTS | 3


security processing


times, and commitment to delivering an airport experience that exceeds expectations doesn’t happen by chance, and we are proud to have the support of such an ambitious and driven team that represents the warm spirit of Belfast and Northern Ireland. “Throughout 2024, we expect to transport nearly 2.6 million passengers with more routes than ever


before


operated by our ten airlines and charter partners, and this campaign heroes all the reasons why so many already choose Belfast City Airport.”


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